Worry not, leading man isn’t going anywhere yet

Feb 26, 2015 09:23 GMT  ·  By
Jamie Dornan will be Christian Grey for at least 2 more “Fifty Shades” movies
   Jamie Dornan will be Christian Grey for at least 2 more “Fifty Shades” movies

Rumors picked up in the past couple of days that Jamie Dornan, who can be seen now in cinemas as the handsome, filthy rich and kinky Christian Grey in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” was disgusted by critical reception of the film and had decided to drop out of the franchise.

Said franchise is supposed to include at least 2 more movies, based on the trilogy of adult novels of the same name by E.L. James. To fans who feared there was some truth to the report, Dornan’s rep has this to say: he isn’t going anywhere.

Dornan is “delighted” with the first film and will be back

As millions of female fans, who helped turn “Fifty Shades” into the first blockbuster of the year, freaked out at the possibility that he might exit the franchise, the actor’s rep assures them they have no reason to react this way.

“Jamie is delighted that the film is breaking box office records worldwide and whilst the studio has not made any formal announcements about sequels, he is looking forward to making the next film,” the publicist says in a statement to ABC News.

So, he will be back. This isn’t that surprising, if you think about it, even in the context in which the report was partially accurate: even if Dornan has come to regret his decision to take up the part, there is no way for him to back out of the franchise because he’s signed a multi-picture deal with Universal.

If he wants out, he has to be ready to pay a lot of money and to kiss his career goodbye. And it’s just not going to happen.

Dornan probably regrets his decision

In all fairness, the source of the report was suspicious at best: some Australian tabloid that cited an unnamed “insider” claiming to have solid knowledge of Dornan’s future career plans.

However, what gave it credibility was this: Dornan (and everyone else involved on the project, including co-star Dakota Johnson and director Sam Taylor-Johnson) couldn’t have possibly been pleased with the barrage of negative reviews and online mockery, even though the movie made a ton of money.

He has no chemistry with his leading lady on camera, so that bit about him blaming her for a good chunk of the negative reviews also seemed likely.

His wife, Amelia Warner, isn’t exactly thrilled by the idea of him having get so physical with another woman on camera, although that’s his job - and this we know for a fact, because he said so himself.

Last but not least, Dornan probably expected the first film to be better than it turned out, he must have thought he would get a real shot to show off his acting chops in a major studio release.

Instead, all he got to do in “Fifty Shades of Grey” was stare blankly and look constipated for 80% of the time. The remaining 20% were spent either shirtless or in the process of getting there.